Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste Disposal

Baroness O'Neill of Bexley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter issued on 9 January to local authorities by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the indicative capital transitional costs for the introduction of weekly food waste collections, whether they have plans to defer the deadline of 19 January for local authorities to respond to the banking details request until after the Department has responded to the concerns of local authorities about the level of Government funding offered to cover the cost of these collections.

Lord Douglas-Miller: So that we can provide funding this financial year, we have asked local authorities to provide bank details by 19 January. If local authorities have requested a review of their funding, then we will still need a record of their bank details. If local authorities are undergoing a review process with our Defra team, we intend to still pay the funding indicated in their indicative letter. Subject to the result of the review, if a local authority requires further funding, then this will be provided separately.

River Thames: Flood Control

Lord Stone of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the practice of holding flood water in the Jubilee River channel to prevent flooding of properties in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton; and of its impacts on downstream communities.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Jubilee flood relief channel, forms part of the ‘Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme’ that reduces the risk of flooding to 3,200 properties in Maidenhead, Windsor, Eton and Cookham. Published details on the Jubilee River flood alleviation scheme are available on - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The flood relief channel is not designed to store or hold flood water. It provides additional capacity for water that would have flowed through and flooded communities in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton, taking it a different route via the Jubilee flood relief channel, before returning it back into the Thames upstream of Datchet. Flood modelling for the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme prior to its construction showed that the scheme would not increase flood risk for others. After flooding in 2003, independent river modelling was completed to re-examine any impacts from the Jubilee flood relief channel on downstream communities. The results showed that there is very little difference made to water flows at Windsor compared to levels downstream when the channel is operated. The executive summary of the independent modelling was carried out and described in ‘Mechanisms of Flooding’ [attached].Mechanisms of Flooding (pdf, 345.7KB)

Department for Business and Trade

Horizon IT System: Disclosure of Information

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislationtonullify all non-disclosure agreements the Post Office has in place with sub-postmasters who experienced shortfalls due to the defective Horizon system which were madeat the time when the Post Office and its lawyers were defending that system.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Post Office CEO, Nick Read, confirmed to the Business and Trade Select Committee on 16 January, that Post Office would not block any Non-Disclosure Agreements being broken for postmasters. Minister Hollinrake, the Postal Services Minister, has since followed up with the Post Office to discuss what, if any, further action needs to be taken. My Department does not include any confidentiality provisions in the offers it issues to postmasters participating in the Group Litigation Order Compensation Scheme.

Horizon IT System

Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom: To ask His Majesty's Government whether in incurring potential liabilities on the group litigation against Alan Bates and others which concluded in 2019, the Post Office required authorisation from the Government; and if so, what authorisation was needed and from whom; and whether such authorisation was granted.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Under its Articles of Association, the Post Office is required to gain prior written consent from the Shareholder before entering into a transaction which involves the incurrence of a commitment, liability or payment of a sum in excess of £50 million. Officials have checked our records and have seen no evidence of any such written consent.

Arms Trade: Israel

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been carried out by the Export Control Joint Unit into the risk of UK arms exported to Israel being used in violation of international humanitarian law; what concerns were raised during this assessment; what were their findings; and what plans they have to conduct a review of arms export licences to Israel.

Lord Offord of Garvel: All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against our Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, including with regard to international humanitarian law. We are monitoring the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories very closely. We can and do respond quickly and flexibly to changing international circumstances. All licences are kept under careful and continual review and we are able to amend, suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.

Arms Trade: Israel

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what legal advice has been received and briefed on in relation to the risk of UK-manufactured arms and components being used in violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) is comprised of subject matter experts and officials in the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade receives legal advice as appropriate, on all matters related to export licensing, as part of advice from officials. Any legal advice received is subject to legal professional privilege and as such we do not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.

Treasury

Taxation: Self-assessment

Lord Livermore: To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 January (HL1648), whether they will provide forecasts of the number of people that His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs expect to fill in tax returns in each of the next five years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HMRC does not hold an estimate for numbers of taxpayers likely to file a Self Assessment return for the next five years. This is because over time, the size of the Self Assessment population will vary due to changes in tax legislation, operational decisions and economic factors.Each year, following the filing deadline for Self Assessment returns, HMRC conducts analysis to forecast the likely number of Self Assessment filers in the forthcoming year and the likely impact on demand for its services. HMRC has not yet made this forecast for next year.For taxpayers who are employees, HMRC commonly adjusts their PAYE tax code to collect extra amounts of income tax due. HMRC may also be able to use Simple Assessment to collect tax. Both methods save taxpayers from the need to complete a tax return.

Individual Savings Accounts

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any amendment to individual savings account (ISA) regulations is necessary in respect of fractional shares; and if this is the case, what is the timeline to amend ISA regulations in order to enable fractional shares to be included in ISAs.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: At Autumn Statement 2023, the Government announced its intention to permit certain fractional shares contracts as eligible ISA investments and committed to engage with stakeholders on implementation. HMT and HMRC officials have met with industry stakeholders and the FCA to understand how to define qualifying ‘fractional shares contracts’ for the purposes of ISA regulations. This work continues to progress at pace, with an expectation to legislate at the earliest opportunity.

Annuities: Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of bulk annuity deals and their impact on pension schemes.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Bulk Purchase Annuity (BPA) market allows Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes to guarantee full benefits for their members whilst transferring the risk to insurers. The BPA market enables trustees and scheme sponsors to manage their balance sheets, reduce exposure to market fluctuations and life expectancy increases, and in some cases, wind up the scheme. There has been increased activity in the BPA market due to the improved funding position of DB schemes. A full buyout is the ultimate goal for many DB pension schemes, but these are decisions for the trustees of a scheme. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is responsible for regulating insurance firms and closely monitors the activity and development of the market. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for regulating DB pension schemes.

New Businesses: Investment

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which changes to the definition of "high net worth individual” investors is likely to impact minority group and female angel investors in business start-ups and early-stage businesses, and what assessment they have made of the consequential impact for diversity and access to funding.

Baroness McGregor-Smith: To ask His Majesty's Government why they are increasing the income threshold for high net worth individuals from £100,000 to £170,000; what forecast they have made of the impact of these changes on the numbers of women who may qualify; and what forecast they have made of the impact of these changes on women’s economic parity in the UK.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The changes to the financial promotion exemptions that came into force on 31 January 2024 were subject to a public consultation which closed in March 2022. Impacts of the proposals were considered, and a consultation response and de minimis impact assessment were published alongside the final reforms. The changes made aimed to both reduce the risk of consumer detriment and preserve the ability of SMEs to raise finance under the exemptions.However, the Government recognises the significant concerns that have been raised recently about these changes. The Economic Secretary met last week with the angel investing sector and listened carefully to the representations made, and the Government is working closely with the sector to address the concerns raised.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nigeria: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of reports that dozens of Christians in Nigeria’s Mangu local government area of Plateau State have been killed in Fulani militia attacks since 23 January; when they last raised sectarian murders in Nigeria with the government of that country; and what response they received.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government condemns all incidents of violence against civilians in Nigeria. Events such as these are occurring across Nigeria as conflict and insecurity rises, and affect all faith and non-faith communities, including Christians. UK Government ministers and officials regularly raise freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including the impact of insecurity on communities and the need to bring perpetrators to justice, with the Nigerian Government. The British High Commissioner raised the attacks that occurred in Plateau over December with the Nigerian National Security Adviser in January. His team continue to work closely with the authorities, local communities, and faith leaders to raise and address these issues, including through engagement with the National Human Rights Commission.

Burundi: Rwanda

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the border closure and the deteriorating relations between Rwanda and Burundi; and what steps they are taking to help prevent tension in the region from further escalating.

Lord Benyon: We strongly condemn violence perpetrated by all armed groups and are alarmed by the recent incursions into Burundi by the RED-Tabara armed group. We urge restraint on all sides and for all parties to work urgently towards de-escalation. The FCDO raised our concerns over the border closure with the Burundian Ambassador on 17 January. We encourage the Government of Burundi to take a measured response and underline the need for dialogue.

Sudan: Internally Displaced People

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UK and international contributions to UN humanitarian agencies to date are meeting the needs of internally displaced people in Sudan.

Lord Benyon: The UN estimates almost 9 million people are currently internally displaced in Sudan. This is now the largest displacement crisis in the world. We are working with regional and international partners to help bring an end to the hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians, and secure safe humanitarian access to and for the most at-need communities. The UK continues to provide assistance to the many people in need in Sudan through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million for 2023-2024. In the next financial year 2024/2025 the UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Sudan will double, to £89 million.

Gaza: Humanitarian Situation

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and what action they are taking with international partners to prevent crisis levels of hunger and famine amongst the civilian population of Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and a desperate need for increased humanitarian support - 9 out of 10 Palestinians in Gaza are living on less than one meal a day. Our focus must be on practical solutions that save lives.The Prime Minister discussed the crisis in Israel and Gaza with President Biden on 22 January. The UK and US are focused on alleviating the terrible suffering in Gaza and together we are working to establish a new aid route through the port of Ashdod. The Foreign Secretary has reiterated the need for Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza, for Nitzana and Kerem Shalom to be open for longer, and for Israel to support the UN to distribute aid effectively across the whole of Gaza.We trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we will continue to support the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. 750 tonnes of life-saving food aid arrived in the first delivery and 315 tonnes in the second delivery. Israel must concrete take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid across Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and immediately restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity.

Colombia: José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Colombia about reports of (1) attacks against, and (2) surveillance of, members of the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government. Officials from the British Embassy in Bogotá will schedule a meeting with the National Protection Unit (UNP) to discuss attacks against, and surveillance of, members of the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective at the next available opportunity. We look to the Colombian authorities to investigate fully and to take appropriate action against those responsible.

Colombia: José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the British Embassy in Bogotá intends to conduct an official visit to the offices of the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collectivefollowingreports of attacks, threats and defamation of its members.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 28 November 2023, officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London met representatives of the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective to discuss their security situation. Officials at our Embassy in Bogotá will schedule a further meeting in Colombia at the next available opportunity.

Ecuador: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the state of emergency declared in Ecuador on 8 January, what assessment they have made of the political and security situation in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are closely monitoring the security situation in Ecuador. The UK stands with Ecuador in their fight against organised crime, not least because of the links to the international trade in cocaine. We have been working closely with Ecuadorean partners since 2012 on tackling international organised crime, and we will continue to explore how we can help further. We are committed to supporting Ecuador in ensuring that the rule of law prevails.

Taiwan: Foreign Relations

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to strengthen bilateral relations with Taiwan, including UK ministerial meetings with the President-elect, William Lai Ching-te.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, and underpinned by shared democratic values. This relationship delivers significant benefits to both the UK and Taiwan and has featured a wide range of exchanges and visits, for example on trade, health and educational issues.

Gaza: Uranium

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the article in the Nature Scientific Reports journal Radiological hazard assessments of radionuclides in building materials, soils and sands from the Gaza Strip and the north of Sinai Peninsula, published on 1 December 2021, what assessment they have made of the discovery of enriched uranium in Gaza.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the article in the Nature Scientific Reports journal Radiological hazard assessments of radionuclides in building materials, soils and sands from the Gaza Strip and the north of Sinai Peninsula, published on 1 December 2021, what assessment they have made of the likely cause of the 24 samples from Gaza containing enriched uranium.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Nature Scientific Reports article does not provide sufficient information to make a qualified determination as to the potential source of the enriched uranium traces it reports were found. The dose rates and level of radiological hazard of the samples referred to in the article are stated as being within recommended global limits. The UK has not tested the samples referenced in the article.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Visitors: Childbirth

Baroness Wyld: To ask His Majesty's Government how many home visits from (1) midwives, and (2) health visitors, women currently receive after childbirth.

Lord Markham: The health visiting service offer is universal to all families, and is underpinned by the national Healthy Child Programme. This offer begins with the antenatal contact and continues until school entry at five years old. There are five mandated universal contacts for health visiting which include: antenatal review; new birth visit; six to eight week review; one year review; and two to two-and-a-half year review. More targeted support, comprising of additional contacts above the mandated number, are delivered depending on assessment of individual family needs. Mandated health visitor reviews should be held face to face, although there may be local variations and blended approaches used. The health visiting service is delivered in a range of settings including families’ own homes, local community, or primary care settings.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Video Games: Prizes

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take, if any, to tackle the ability of computer games players to ‘cash out’ loot box prizes through online platforms such as the Steam Community Market.

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take, if any, against gaming companies that generate transferable loot boxes, or loot box content that can be transferred.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government and the Gambling Commission continue to monitor the convergence of video games and gambling closely. The majority of loot box rewards do not have a monetary value, cannot be cashed out, and are of value only in the context of a given game. They do not therefore meet the definition of gambling as set out in the Gambling Act 2005. All operators providing gambling services to consumers in Britain require a licence from the Gambling Commission. Offering any gambling activity without a licence is an offence. The Gambling Commission has demonstrated that it will take strong regulatory action where video game products do amount to unlicensed gambling, including in instances when the trading of items obtained from loot boxes brings loot box mechanics within the statutory definitions of gambling.In July 2023, UK Interactive Entertainment published new, industry-led guidance on loot boxes. HM Government welcomes this guidance, which, if fully implemented, has the potential to meet the objectives set out in the Government’s response to our call for evidence on loot boxes, published in July 2022. We have agreed a 12-month implementation period during which we expect the industry to work with players, parents, academics, consumer groups and Government bodies to implement this guidance in full.

Department for Transport

Taxis: Greater London

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Mayor of London about his suspension of the requirement for private hire drivers to pass an English language proficiency exam.

Lord Davies of Gower: Whilst the Government issues guidance to assist local authorities, taxi licensing in London is a matter for the Mayor of London.

Ministry of Defence

Marines: Recruitment

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the target size of the Royal Marines; how many Commandos currently serve in the Royal Marines; and what steps they are taking (1) to improve the recruitment of, and (2) to combat the shortfall in the number of serving, Commandos.

The Earl of Minto: I can confirm that it is the Government’s intention to announce an indicative projected strength for Regular Armed Forces personnel shortly which will provide further detail on planned future Armed Force strengths. However, I can confirm that as of 1 October 2023, there are currently 6,040 Royal Marines (RM) Commandos. This figure excludes the RM Band Service. These figures are published on a quarterly basis for all His Majesty’s Armed Forces and can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2023. RM recruitment is benefiting from Defence delivered improvements to the offer including pay and pension reviews, accommodation and recruitment drives and the recruitment bounty scheme. Additionally, specific recruitment activity undertaken directly by the RM include continuing RM outreach and advertising (across traditional and social media), streamlining the recruitment process, increased mentoring at the Commando Training Centre and ensuring development opportunities for Commando instructors.

Cabinet Office

Inquiries

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask His Majesty's Government how many statutory and non-statutory inquiries they have undertaken since 2005, and what were their (1) length, (2) cost, (3) sponsoring department, and (4) subject matter.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Since 2005, our records show that His Majesty’s Government has established 19 non statutory inquiries and 23 statutory inquiries under the Inquiries Act 2005 on a broad range of subject matters. 28 of the total 42 inquiries have been completed. Several of these statutory inquiries had previously been established as non statutory inquiries or inquests. The length of completed inquiries in this period ranges from 7 to 99 months and published costs vary significantly from between £0.2m and £194m. Most Whitehall departments have sponsored public inquiries. Further information can be found on inquiry and departmental websites and in the National Archives.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what process they are using to determinethe allocation for (1) social care, (2) funding guarantees, and (3) grants, under their plans to provide an additional £600 million funding to councils.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: On the 24th of January, the department announced our intention to increase the level of funding to local government in the Settlement by £600 million. Taking into account this new funding, local government in England will see an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion next year, taking the total to £64.7 billion in 2024-25.£500 million of this new funding will be distributed to councils with responsibility for Social Care services through the Social Care Grant. The Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula is the basis for Social Care Grant allocations and is used to evaluate local authorities’ need for funding relative to one another. We are supporting all of local government through the sector-wide Funding Guarantee, ensuring all local authorities will see a minimum 4% increase in Core Spending Power before local council tax decisions – an increase from the 3% Funding Guarantee in 2023-24.Finally, we are increasing the Rural Services Delivery Grant to £110 million in 2024-25, its highest ever level. The distribution of this grant will remain unchanged next year, and will continue to be distributed to the top-quartile of local authorities ranked by ‘super-sparsity’, a measure of rurality.

Buildings: Insurance

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to stop managing agents charging leaseholders excessive commission charges for renewing buildings insurance.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill seeks to ban the placer of insurance on residential leasehold properties from receiving any form of commission that is passed on to leaseholders as a cost. Instead, costs relating to the placement and management of buildings insurance will be issued through a transparent handling fee, proportionate to the value of the work done. The detail will be set out in affirmative secondary legislation.Transparency reforms within the Bill will require the placer of insurance to disclose information about their decision-making process when purchasing buildings insurance on behalf of leaseholders. These measures will support responsible, transparent, and accountable sourcing of buildings insurance for leaseholders of multi-occupancy buildings.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have paid to the charity Barnardo's in Northern Ireland for helping to administrate the Homes for Ukraine scheme there.

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how manynon-profitable organisations have been involved with the Homes for Ukraine scheme in Northern Ireland; and what is the total amount of funding that has been given to those organisations.

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people areemployed in Northern Ireland in administration of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Northern Ireland Executive receives funding from DLUHC to administrate the Homes for Ukraine scheme in Northern Ireland. The tariff is unringfenced and the Devolved Administrations have the flexibility to exercise discretion in using the funding, including payments to non-profitable organisations. Further information in this regard is a matter for the Executive Office in Northern Ireland.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Hinkley Point C Power Station: Construction

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the impact of the delays to the Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station on their 2030 target for low-carbon electricity generation.

Lord Callanan: The Government’s Net Zero Strategy sets out our aim to fully decarbonise our power system by 2035, subject to security of supply. The latest update from EDF is that Hinkley Point C’s first reactor unit will start generating between 2029 and 2031 helping to achieve this aim. Hinkley Point C will serve Britain until well into the next century, making an important contribution to the UK’s Net Zero commitments.